Meat marker



May E95 IQL v H MCKEE Y MEAT MARKER Filed June 29, 19::8 s sheets-sheet1 ffl H. H. MCKEE May 19, i931.

MEAT MARKER Filed June 29,

5 Sheets-Sheet May E99 g. H, H., McKEE l@ mim* MARKER Filed June 29 19283 Sheets-Sheet 3 l Patented May I9,

HARRY HENRY MCKEE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 yS\Wl -`li"COMPANY, OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS MEAT MARKER Applicationfiled June 29,

This invention relates to meat ymarking devices and is particularlydirected to certain improvements in the meat marking apparatus describedand claimed in my c0- pending application, Serial No. 208,668, filedJuly 97, 1927. No claim is made herein to the method which constitutesthe subject matter of my copending application, Serial No. 415,838,filed December 2l, 1929, for improvement in methods of marking meats.

The main objets of this invention are to provide an improved structureand arrangement of the various parts of the apparatus for greater easeof operation; to provide improved construction for the fountain wherebythe ink feed is improved and whereby the capacity of the ink reservoirmay be greatly enlarged by utilizing the space within the handle,without increasing the bulk of the apparatus; and to provide an improvedstructure and arrangement of the type needles, whereby the device may bemore readily directed along a curved path, and whereby the risk ofaccidental breakage of the needles may be practically eliminated.

A specific construction embodying this invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which: o

Figure l is a front elevation of the improved meat marker, the inkingwheel being shown in section.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same, a portion of one of the'sidewalls of the marking roller being broken away to illustrate the methodof fastening the type plates.

Figure 3 is afragmentary sectional detail ofthe inking fountain andhandle.

-the needles thereon. n this figure, as

Figure 4 is a section of the ink fountain taken on the line 4 4 ofFigure 3.

Figure 'is a fragmentary face View of the type wheel illustrating thediagonal arrangement of the type plate and the mounting olf we as inFigure 2, some of the banks of needles are indicated in` dotted outlineto'simplify the work of illustration.

Figure 6 is an illustrative view of a ham showing applied thereto a bandofgmarkings, irhl as a trade mark or other desired' indicia f for theapplication of which upon meats the 1928. Serial No. 289,292.

herein described apparatus is particularly designed.

Figure 7 is a sectional view of one of the inking plates shown inconnection with apparatus employed in the assembly thereof, when theneedles are fastened by welding.

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the general relation of themarker with respect to the piece of meat, while the band of markings isbeing applied to the latter by'rolling the roller over its surface.

In the construction shown in the drawings, the apparatus comprises ingeneral an inking roller 1 having projecting needles 2, serving as inkcarrying ingersarranged around its periphery in type form and carried bya handle 3 whereby 1t may be rolled over a piece of meat for the purposeof pricking the ink into the surface thereof and thereby applyingthereto a band of markings of the general character described in m saidco-pend.- ing application. Ink is applied to the sides of the needles bymeans of a brush 4 supplied by an ink fountain 5 associated with thehandle, as will be hereinafter described.

The inking roller comprises a hub 6 journaled on a shaft 7 and having acentral web or spider 8 carrying a broad rim 9 to which are bolted aseries of type plates 10, each carrying a group of said needles 2arranged in suitable relation to make the desired m1- print into themeat. The plates- 10 are preferably setso that the words appearingthereon will stand at an angle to the axis ofthe roller, since it isfound that this arrangement allows the roller to be moved along a curvedpath over the surface of the meat while the needles are pricking themarking pigment into the same and with a minimum of resistance by theneedles embedded in the meat. Each late 10 is preferablyseparatelyattached by E to permit the plates to be readily removed and replacedfor the purpose of repair or substituting different type characters. Thesides of the wheel 1 are preferably covered by plates l2 held by screws13.

A preferred method of assembling the type plates is illustrated inFigure 7, wherein one olts or screws 11 to the rim 9- i between thehaving an oil bath 14 in which the hard points of the needles aresubmerged while the head ends thereof are welded to the plate 10. Inthis manner it is possible to weld the needles into their perforationsin the plates without drawing the temper of the points of the needles,although the welding operation serves to anneal the parts of the needlesin the immediate vicinity of the plate 10, whereby the risk of breakageof needles in the operation and handlin of the apparatus is practicallyeliminate since a lateral strain, which would ordinarily break a needlethat is hardened throughout its length, will merely bend the needlehaving an annealed shank.`

The shaft 7 is carried by a frame comprising `a pair of sector-shapedside brackets 15 which are integral with the handle 3, which is ofarcuate shape and lies in the plane of and substantially parallel withthe adjacent part of the periphery of the wheel. A guard 16 prevents anypossibility of injury to the operators ngers by the needles 2.

Ink is ap lied to the sides of the needles by means of t e brush 4,which is in turn supplied with ink by means of an inking fountain 5comprising a reservoir back of the brush. The bristles of the brush areembedded in a plate 17 of rubber andare partly enclosed in a tubularsheath 18. The ink supply reservoir 19, which is immediately adjacent tothe brush, is connected to the space fibres of the brush by smallapertures 20 extending through the rubber disk 17. The handle 3 ishollow and contains a tubular reservoir 21.

The ink reservoir 21 communicates with the ink reservoir 19 preferablythrough a restricted orifice 22 which gives a further controll to theink feed. The ink reservoir 21 is enclosed by a plug or ca Y 23 at itsupper end and is preferably provided with a gasket 2li for air tightclosure. In the form shown, this gasket bears upon the adjacent end ofthe handle 3 for the purpose of steadying the upper end of the inkreservoir within the handle.

The operation ofthe device shown is as folows:

In marking meat the operator grasps the handle 3 and sweeps the rollerover the surface of the meat, as illustrated in Figure 8, so as to applyone or more bands of marks in order that the trade-mark or othermarking, which is applied thereby, will appear upon any of the usualcuts or portions into which the piece of meat'is subdivided for variousretail orders.

As the roller sweeps over the meat, the points of the lneedle penetratethe surface thereof and prick the ink into it. The needles, passingthrough the brush of the ink fountain, are coated with ink throughoutthe length of that portion of the needles which penetrates the meat, theink is fed by capillarity to the bristles ofthe needles but on accountof the presence of the restricted passages leading to the inkreservoirs, the ink does not feed in excessive amounts. The tightclosure 23 at the top of the ink reservoir 21 prevents the inflow ofvair and thereby prevents too rapid a flow of ink. v

The operator may control the iiow of lnk by occasionally unscrewing theplug 23to becomes familiar with the condltions of inkv flow andmanipulates the cap at roper intervals without having to glve t esubject much attention.

Different kinds of meat require different arrangements of the band orbands of-markings and, since but few of the needles penetrate the meatat a time, it is possible to sweep `the apparatus over the meat in suchmanner as to make either a straight or curved band of markings withoutundue resistance by the needles and without having them tear the surfaceof the meat. Y

It has been found that the diagonal arrangement of the type plates onthe surface of the roller contributes to the ease with which it may beswung around a curved path.

In Figure 6, I have illustrated the manner in which the markings are aplied to a ham, injwhich 'case the band of marngs is preferably madealong the broad strip of fat which appears between the edge of the skinand the exposed esh of the inner or cut side of the ham, and theindividual trade-marks or other words, which indicate the source orqualit of the goods, read crosswise of the band of markings and wouldthus appear upon any of the minor cuts or `ortions into which the hammay be subdivi ed when sold inless than the complete unit, The butcher,in cutt' up a ham, usually cuts o the butt end on a line indicated bythe line 25 in Figure 6, this particular cut being determined by thebone structure within the ham. Minor cuts are usually made along linesparalleltotheline25 and the heck is cut o' at a place indicated by theline 26, also approximately parallel to the line 25. It will be seenthat when a band of markin sis a plied, as shown in Figure 6, the trae-mar' will appear upon any of the minor cuts.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been hereinshown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of theconstruction shown may be ali 111g ne.

tered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention asdefined by the following claims:

I claim: p

E l. A meat marker comprising a roller, needles projecting from theperiphery thereof, a pair of spaced side brackets in Which said rolleris journaled, a handle on said brackets lying in the plane of the rollerand extending in the general direction of the periphery thereof, a brushcarried by said frame for inking said needles and an ink reservoirmounted in said handle and communicating with said brush for supplyingink thereto.

2. A meat marker comprising a wheel, pointed type needles projectingfrom the periphery thereof, an inking brush arrangedl to ink the sidesof said needles, a sheath en closing the base of said brush, an inkreser- Voirl having a contracted outlet orifice communicating with theinterior of said sheath, and means for controlling the admission of airto said reservoir to regulate the ink feed.

3. A meat marker comprising a roller,

a plurality of ink carrying fingers projecting from the peripherythereof, a pair of spaced side brackets in which said roller isjournaled, a handle on said brackets lying in the plane of the rollerand extending in the general direction of the periphery thereof, a brushcarried by said frame for inking said` fingers and an ink reservoirmounted in said handle and communicating with said brush for supplyingink thereto.

Signed at Chicago this 26th day of June,

HARRY H. MOKEE.

